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Isuke
|image = File:Kouichi_Yotsui_and_art.png |imagesize = 180px |caption = Kouichi "Isuke" Yotsui, circa 2014 |Row 1 title = Birthplace: |Row 1 info = Osaka, Japan |Row 2 title = Birthdate: |Row 2 info = February 7thSquare Enix (2012). "Scenario Writer Introduction" (in Japanese). Square Enix Market, Anata Toshokan Official Site. Accessed Aprl 24, 2016 |Row 3 title = Occupation: |Row 3 info = Film director, screenwriter, and game designer |Row 4 title = Years Active: |Row 4 info = 1986–present }} "Isuke" ( ) was the pseudonym Kouichi Yotsui ( ) used while developing the CPS-1 installment of ''Strider''. Yotsui has also been credited as "Teruaki"Matsui, Yoshihiko (Director). (1988). [http://www.jhmd.jp/t4/79.html The Noisy Requiem (追悼のざわめき)]. Movie. Japan: Yokubou. B/W. 150 mins.Tane, Kiyofume (February 2009). "The Father of Strider Who Made the Game World Explode: Kouichi Yotsui Discography". Gameside (16). Translated by Gaijin Punch for Gamengai. Accessed October 24, 2010., "The Fourth Sally"[https://web.archive.org/web/20090528210623/http://www.mitchell.jp/game/game_arcade2.htm The Karate Tournament] (in Japanese). (Mitchell Corporation). Arcade. Level/area: End credits. (December 1992)., and "6th Sally"[https://web.archive.org/web/20090528210623/http://www.mitchell.jp/game/game_arcade2.htm Lady Killer] (in Japanese). (Mitchell Corporation). Arcade. Level/area: End credits. (December 1993)., and has worked for the major gaming publishers Capcom, Mitchell, and Enix. He is most famous for designing the aforementioned Strider, and the cult classics ''Nostalgia 1907''Takeru. Nostalgia 1907 (in Japanese). (Sur de Wave). X68000. Level/area: End credits. (December 14, 1991). and Osman[https://web.archive.org/web/20090528210618/http://www.mitchell.jp/game/game_arcade1.htm Osman] (in Japanese). (Mitchell Corporation). Arcade. Level/area: End credits. (February 1996).. He is currently a freelance game designer whose latest works include Square Enix's 2011 downloadable title Moon Diver''Spencer. "Strider Designer + Square Enix = Necromachina". Siliconera. Accessed 17 Dec 2010. and Mitchell's 2012 puzzle game ''Tokyo Crash Mobs. Early Life Kouichi Yotsui lives in Mt. Takao in Tokyo but hails from Osaka, JapanScion; Dire 51 (24 April 2010). "Interview with Kouichi "Isuke" Yotsui". LSCM 4.0. Translated by Gaijin Punch. Accessed October 24, 2010.. By his own admission, he was a poor high school student because he preferred to draw instead of study. He enjoyed fantasy illustrations, but upon deciding that still pictures were "useless", attended Osaka University of Arts, where he studied film under Kazuo Miyagawa, Fujiro Morita, and Yoshitaka Yoda. Tutelage under Yoda, by all rights, makes him a veritable Jedi. He shot several 8mm films and one 16mm 60-minute drama as a student, and also worked as one of the lighting technicians on the Japanese horror film The Noisy Requiem ( ), released in 1988. After university, Yotsui owed Imagica the development costs for his 16mm student film. He applied to Capcom after seeing a magazine advertisement saying Capcom paid the highest starting salaries. He made no more films following his hiring on at Capcom. Career Capcom (1986-1989) Yotsui worked for Capcom's First Planning Room under Tokuro Fujiwara. As a background illustrator, he contributed to Capcom's 1986 game The Speed Rumbler, the arcade version of ''Bionic Commando'', and ''Ghouls 'n Ghosts'', as well as submitting game proposals that ultimately were rejected. After Yotsui worked for Capcom for two to three years, Akio Sakai joined Capcom as the Head of Development. Sakai suggested collaborating with other companies and set up a project between Capcom and Motomiya Kikaku, a triple-pronged collaboration which would eventually include Capcom's 1989 arcade masterpiece, ''Strider Hiryu''. Capcom placed Yotsui in charge of the arcade versionJones, Darran (24 Apr 2010). "The Making of... Strider". Retro Gamer (76). pp. 48-53., an appointment he speculates may have either been due to his previous experience with the CPS-1 or possibly his cancelled proposals. Yotsui's team developed their game with the idea that it was a "competition" with the other two projects (Masahiko Kurokawa's consumer version and Tatsumi Wada's manga), and that theirs was "most important". Although there was tension over the long hours he demanded from his team, Yotsui felt that if they would just do as he instructed, they would be fine, and was unsurprised when their game ranked first at a game show. Nevertheless, Yotsui's Strider Hiryu ran behind schedule. Yotsui believes it underperformed in the sales department, noting that rumors within Capcom attributed its poor sales to that delay. He left Capcom not long afterward. Takeru (1990-1991) Two Capcom employees, Akira Kitamura and Shinichi Yoshimoto (designers of Mega Man/Mega Man 2 and Ghouls 'n Ghosts, respectively), left the company to start their own, TakeruCRV (August 21, 2009). "Takeru". Game Developer Research Institute. Accessed December 17, 2010.. Desiring greater creative freedom than arcade machines allowed, Yotsui joined them. He had it in mind to create an adventure game, but hadn't decided what hardware to develop it for. The CEO of Sur de Wave, Takeru's publisher, talked Yotsui into developing it on the X68000. This adventure game turned out to be 1991's Nostalgia 1907, a period piece fueled by Yotsui's own personal instincts and interests, "American spy novels and comic books", and the 1974 British disaster film ''Juggernaut''. The game's climactic bomb-defusing sequence is noteworthy for being its most oft-remembered sceneKohama, Dai (March 26, 2006). "Nostalgia 1907". Play Magazine Online. Waybacked., for triggering its most memorable music, and for being "borrowed" by Hideo Kojima in ''Policenauts''. Nostalgia 1907 was later ported to the Sega CD, FM Towns, and PC-98. Sur de Wave's financial situation became unstable shortly afterward. As the development costs of Nostalgia 1907 were partially responsible, Yotsui left Takeru for Mitchell Corporation. Mitchell Corporation (1992-1996) Several Takeru employees left for Mitchell. Several of these were from CapcomSeydoux, Chaz (January 16, 2006). "shokkingu hitofude". Insert Credit. Waybacked.. Yotsui was in good company. Perhaps trying to recover from two flops in a row, Yotsui attempted a more commercial game for his first at Mitchell: 1992's The Karate Tournament. Despite its innovations, including realistic sparring and in-engine motion blurBousegis, Alexis (April 14, 2008). "Chatan Yarakuu Shanku - The Karate Tournament". Arcade-History.com. Accessed 17 Dec 2010., Yotsui calls The Karate Tournament "completely ingratiation to the market" due to the arcade dominance of ''Street Fighter II'' in that era. Yotsui followed The Karate Tournament with a more lighthearted effort, 1993's Lady Killer, an adult-themed tile-based puzzle gameBousegis, Alexis (October 9, 2010). "Lady Killer". Arcade-History.com. Accessed 17 Dec 2010.. This apparently, and somewhat surprisingly, also did not do well. Yotsui chose this opportunity to revisit themes from his most well-known game, Strider Hiryu with 1996's Osman. Yotsui's collaborator at Mitchell, Takashi "Utata Kiyoshi" Kogure, had learned much from the innovations demanded by The Karate Tournament, which benefited the gameplay in Osman. Osman elevated the gameplay of Strider Hiryu to a new level and bears a noticeable and striking resemblance to its predecessor. Despite this, Yotsui remembers being "tired" during its development, calling Osman "self-parody" and intentionally "kind of strange". It did "alright" in Japan but fared worse overseas. Yotsui attempted to write up a new game proposal, but he never turned it in. He "messed around for about 6 months" afterward, exiting Mitchell when he realized he wanted to make another game and not just write. Years later, Mitchell's President Roy Ozaki gave an interview to InsertCredit.com's Chaz Seydoux. When Seydoux asked about this period of Mitchell's history (and Yotsui in particular), Ozaki dismissively mentioned "Capcom misfits" who had "moved around", and did not elaborate. Freelance Years (1997-Present) Three major commercial failures and increasing frustration with corporate video gaming left Yotsui with few remaining career options. He went freelance, submitting game proposals to any publishers who would listen. Developer Sol picked up two of Yotsui's ideas, both of which would reunite Yotsui with his Capcom colleague Shinichi YoshimotoCRV (June 13, 2010). "Company:Sol (credits)". Game Developer Research Institute. Accessed 17 Dec 2010.. One earned him a "draft" credit on Victor's 1999 PlayStation release, Submarine Hunter Shachi''Sol. ''Submarine Hunter Shachi (in Japanese). (Victor). PlayStation. Level/area: End credits. (November 2, 1999)., which later received an Europe-only release as Submarine Commander. Publisher Enix "took a shine" to another proposal similar to the bomb-defusing sequence from Nostalgia 1907 and paired him with producer Ando Takehiro for their idiosyncratic 1997 PlayStation entry, Suzuki Explosion''Sol. [http://www.square-enix.com/jp/game/year/00-96/ ''Suzuki Explosion] (in Japanese). (Enix). PlayStation. Level/area: End credits. (July 6, 2000).. Yotsui and Takehiro frequently clashed during the development process for Suzuki Explosion, but joined together for a round table interview with Studio Voice to promote it nonetheless (August 2000), " ", [http://www.japandesign.ne.jp/HTM/MAGAZINE/STUDIOVOICE/296/ Studio Voice 296].. Suzuki debuted at eleventh place on the Japanese and North American chartsIGN Staff. "Japanese and North American Sales Figures: 7/02 - 7/09". IGN. Accessed 18 Dec 2010.. While discussing the game years later, Ando stated the game has since gained a small following, and although it didn't reach 1 million sales as he expected, since it recovered its development costs and remained in the minds of fans he considers it a kind of success.Yamoto, Shin'ichi (May 22, 2017). "A Phantom Project suddenly appears, "How are favorite games like 'Strider' and 'Suzuki Bakuhatsu' created?" lecture report" (Japanese). 4gamer.net. Accessed April 5, 2017 Following Suzuki Explosion, Ando and Yotsui continued working together in a new project for the PlayStation 2 titled Madstix, a car action game developed as "a racing game with no steering wheel, brakes or acceleration". It featured unique gameplay where turning the right analog stick would drive it recklessly, while turning the left stick would drive it safely, and one has to properly use them to avoid accidents. This also allowed them a free, more cinematic camera work than other racing games. The game, however, was cancelled and never revealed to the public. Yotsui also worked as an assistant planner on Square Enix's 2005 Playstation 2 RPG, ''Drakengard 2''cavia, inc. ''Drakengard 2'' (in Japanese). (Square Enix). PlayStation 2. Level/area: End credits. (June 16, 2005). and developed the scenario and gameplay for Beyond Entertainment's 2008 Nintendo DS adventure Otoshi Deka.SUCCESS. 落シ刑事（デカ）～刑事さん、私がやりました～ (in Japanese). (Beyond Entertainment). Nintendo DS. Level/area: End credits. (September 18, 2008). In 2011, Kouichi Yotsui worked as main designer of Square Enix's downloadable action title, Moon Diver (formerly known as Necromachina)feelplus. ''Moon Diver'' (in English). (Square Enix). PlayStation 3, Xbox 360. Level/area: End credits. (2010)., which reunited him with Suzuki Explosion producer Ando Takehiro. He intended it to be a sequel to the action games he made in the past and hopes for a sequel, as he was unable to put "even half of what he wanted" into Moon Diver.Riley, Adam (April 27, 2011). "Kouichi Yotsui on Nintendo 3DS?". Cubed3. Accessed June 24, 2011. In 2012, Yotsui worked as one of the scenario writers in Square Enix's digital adventure book Anata Toshokan, writing the scenario for one of the game's ten chapters. Mitchell Corp. also picked him up to direct the ''Puzz Loop''-inspired bizarre puzzle game Tokyo Crash Mobs for the Nintendo 3DS. In 2016, ''Zero Escape'' series creator Kotaro Uchikoshi mentioned in interviews that Yotsui was one of two puzzle designers working in the series' third installment, ''Zero Time Dilemma''Lopez, Azario (March 21, 2016). "Interview With Zero Escape Series Creator Kotaro Uchikoshi". operationrainfall.com. Accessed April 24, 2016Kawachi (March 22, 2016). "Interview with Mr. Kotaro Uchikoshi, director and writer of "Zero Escape Time's Dilemma"! [GDC2016 ]". dengekionline.com. Accessed April 24, 2016. Uchikoshi explains Yotsui is known for his "unique and out of the box type puzzles" and unorthodox approach (directly mentioning Suzuki Explosion), which stands in contrast with the other puzzle designer's more orthodox methods. Creative Philosophy Kouichi Yotsui is still a film student at heart, trying his hardest "to express a deep and long-running story" and emphasizing quality over thriftiness. He developed his student film on 16mm instead of 8mm because he wanted to create "something meaningful". He likes creating both games and films, but finds games harder to make. He prefers attempting the harder of two choices when given the chance, as it's "hard to become bored of something that's difficult." He finds games "way more interesting" than movies, as they have "the sense of movies, and if you don't make them fun, they won't sell. Since it's a hard job, it makes it interesting." Yotsui likes making games with blade weapons as it forces the player to approach the enemy instead of striking from a distance, and he has also "embraced simplicity" in the years since the release of Strider, claiming that "the game doesn’t have to be extravagant or make sense as long as the game can excite the players and make them say, 'Wow, how fun!'"Concepcion, Miguel (May 14, 2011). "Q&A with Kouichi Yotsui on Moon Diver". Examiner. Accessed 24 Jun 2011.. He has also stated he finds boring to make something that's already been done before and prefers to create new genres. His games often run behind schedule, over budget, and make little money. Yotsui notes that "doing what I wanted got the company in trouble" and believes gaming publishers shouldn't "hold the regular employees responsible" for commercial flops, although he admits that "considering costs is obviously important." He finds it "impossible" to select his best work to date, as "a parent can't pick his favorite child". He also notes, "I've yet to make a game that, once complete, I was able to look back and say that it reached my level of satisfaction." Gameography } | iNiS Corporation | Square Enix | Smartphones & Tablets | Scenario Writer |- | 2012 | Tokyo Crash Mobs | Nintendo / Mitchell Corporation | Nintendo | Nintendo 3DS | Designer |- | 2016 | ''Zero Time Dilemma'' | Chime | Spike Chunsoft / Aksys Games | Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation Vita, PC | Quest Designer |- |} Art Gallery Strider1_poster.png|First flyer art Strider_hiryu_flyer.png|Japanese flyer art Hiryu_strider_art.png|Hiryu GrandmasterMeio.png|Grandmaster Meio Strider_Arcade.png|English logo, drawn by Isuke during a location test. Osman_slaver_avatar.png|Slaver's avatar in Osman. Unlike the final boss sprite, this one was made by Isuke. References See Also * ''Strider'' * Osman * ''Nostalgia 1907'' (on Wikipedia) * ''Policenauts'' (on Wikipedia) * ''Moon Diver'' (on Wikipedia) External Links * Isuke's Twitter Category:Creators